BlogClump - Blogging About Associations From a Gen Xer

Google TV Ads Revisited

2011-10-19T13:54:00.001-04:00

In case you didn't catch it last year, I did some Google TV ads testing.

Looks like they are doing a little more now.

Voting for Sessions

2011-10-04T09:43:00.002-04:00

I got an email from ASAE asking me to vote for sessions for the 2012 Marketing, Membership and Communications Conference. What a great idea. Crowdsourcing at its best. Having been involved in session selection for ASAE before, I am sure that the ones presented to the masses were a vetted list, eliminating the obvious ones that didn't fit/work. But why not ask the very folks who would be going to such a conference to pick their learning opportunities? Now the only problem is scheduling, so that people don't miss sessions they really want to see. I like choice in a time slot, just not TOO much choice.

Update on mobile website for workshop

2011-09-29T12:15:00.002-04:00

Our mobile site is mobile.scranet.org. We had it for our meeting that took place last week. It didn't get much usage, but I attribute that to being new and us not publicizing it enough. I think we will see increased growth in usage as we roll it out at our other meetings and increase marketing of it. Having it run wordpress was really nice and flexible. Hopefully we can see more usage sooner rather than later. Any thoughts?

Rain Rain Go Away - What do you do when disaster strikes your members?

2011-09-09T09:02:00.004-04:00

This is getting a little out of control. I measured 6 inches of rain last night that had accumulated in a 24 hour period. My grass is happy, but this is nuts. Took me 90 minutes to get home last night from work. I really wish I could divert all this to Texas.

Which leads me to today's Friday question - what do you do when disaster strikes your members? Do you have a plan in place for contacting them, reaching out with aid, etc.?

ASAE 2011 Sounds Like a Winner

2011-08-17T15:33:00.002-04:00

I was bummed to miss ASAE2011, but from what I saw on Twitter and Blogs, I really missed out. Of course I missed the good info at the sessions. And I missed seeing what ASAE improved upon (which looks like many things). But I really missed seeing my association friends. You know who you are. I wouldn't be where I am today without you. Hopefully I see you soon!

Missing #asae11

2011-08-05T09:18:00.002-04:00

Very rarely would I be sad to not go to St. Louis. But this is one of those times. I will miss #asae11 which is my first missed Annual in 6 years. I hope all the #yapstars have a great time. Can't wait to follow everything on Twitter.

Our Latest Project - Event Mobile Site

2011-06-18T08:54:00.002-04:00

It isn't anything new, but we are just dipping our toes in the mobile water. We created our first app late last year. This year I am building a mobile website for attendees to visit while on site at our meetings. Instead of spending thousands of dollars, I am doing it myself in house. Very simply, I am just buying a cheap hosting package and installing wordpress. I found a great free mobile theme and just put together a simple site with the schedule, session info, hotel and travel info and a place for daily announcements. There is also a Sponsor page to give sponsors some extra recognition. Total cost (besides my time) $100 a year.

Cool thing to do at a conference

2011-05-31T14:39:00.003-04:00

I just attended Windpower 2011 last week. In the lobby of the Anaheim Convention Center, the conference had bins where attendees could donate their unused hotel toiletries and the conference facilitated getting them to homeless shelters and other organizations that needed them. Obviously this wouldn't work if you were doing a smaller meeting in a hotel, but for larger conventions held at convention centers, this is really cool.

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2011 MMCC

2011-04-29T12:16:00.002-04:00

I was proud to present at the 2011 ASAE Marketing, Membership and Communications Conference this week in DC. Over 800 attendees was a record for ASAE - Congrats! Our (@kikilitalien, @MissLynn13, @sterlingraphael ) was standing room only. We hope everyone enjoyed it. I can't wait to see our survey feedback. I am just sad I missed day 2. I love my fellow association peeps!

Sunk Costs, Marginal Costs and Economics

2011-02-03T11:28:00.002-05:00

When I was in college, I hated Economics. Then, several years later, I found myself teaching undergrad Econ and learned an appreciation for it. Now today, I have an even bigger appreciation for it. I have also noticed that not enough people have a solid grasp of some basic econ concepts that can be applied to everyday life. Two of these are cost related. Here are some basic definitions from The Economist website:

Sunk Costs - When what is done cannot be undone. Sunk costs are costs that have been incurred and cannot be reversed, for example, spending on ADVERTISING or researching a product idea. They can be a barrier to entry. If potential entrants would have to incur similar costs, which would not be recoverable if the entry failed, they may be scared off.

Marginal Costs - The difference made by one extra unit of something. Marginal revenue is the extra revenue earned by selling one more unit of something. The marginal cost (or whatever) can be very different from the AVERAGE cost (or whatever), which simply divides total costs (or whatever) by the total number of units produced (or whatever). A common finding in MICROECONOMICS is that small incremental changes can matter enormously. In general, thinking “at the margin” often leads to better economic decision making than thinking about the averages.

You have lots of sunk costs around you. For associations, your AMS is a big one. Do you keep throwing money at it because you "want to get the most out of your investment?" Don't. It is a sunk cost. See where that money you might spend would be more effective.

Marginal costs rarely get a second thought. Are you producing a webinar? The marginal cost of more attendees is probably zero! So use it as an extra value add for members who may not attend an in person meeting, or a sponsor or exhibitor.

Brushing up on econ is always a good idea. :)

You Never Know What You Will Learn from Twitter

2011-01-25T08:08:00.003-05:00

Just a quick example of how small the world gets when social media comes into play, and why you should cast a wider net.

In the DC area, there is a fantastic store called Total Wine (@totalwine). As I am a frequent customer, I follow them on Twitter. I saw an intriguing tweet from them the other day complete with a link to a picture. Turns out the picture was of one of my members hauling something in Toronto. The member had started a Twitter account 10 days earlier specifically for that particular move and was sending Twitpics several times a day.

I was then able to find press coverage about the move and connect to a member who is using Twitter as a business tool, something our membership isn't sure is possible.

You just never know what you'll find on Twitter, but sometimes it is something useful you didn't know was there.

The Gaming Generation

2011-01-21T16:10:00.002-05:00

I read a tremendous article in Fast Company about gaming. Some stats I thought were key:

97% of 12-17 year old play computer games
70% of heads of American households do to

Does your association offer any games? Should they? Mobile apps are the big thing everyone likes to talk about now. But what about games?

They could be learning games, fun games, or games to draw in potential members. The article talks about what the Army has done on that front.

Good article.

Web Design Company Featured on Lead411 Blog

2010-12-21T15:59:00.002-05:00

Pretty cool, but I was featured with my part-time web design firm on the Lead411 Blog.

Thanks again Susan!

Webinars

2010-12-09T09:22:00.003-05:00

We are starting to do webinars at my association. Some will be paid, some will be free. If you haven't seen it, Associations Now has a great article on webinar pricing and whether or not to make them free. (Sorry, I couldn't find the link. Maybe Lisa Junker can help out.)

[Edit - Thanks to Mark from ASAE for finding the link]

I am of the mindset that if the webinar is about the core of your member's being, why you exist, then it should be free to members. But, if it is a value add or extremely specialized, then charge. A good mix will be appreciated by all. My two cents.

Rogue Mobile Apps

2010-11-23T13:40:00.003-05:00

Maggie McGary had a great question to my earlier post about Mobile Apps:

Now--what's your call on this: a member contacts your association saying they've developed an app that includes content created by your association (say a Twitter or blog feed). They intend to charge for the app. Do you grant permission or not? Hypothetically-speaking only, of course ;)

My two cents, and I am not a lawyer, don't play one on TV and didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night...

That is your content. It isn't public domain. No one should be able to profit from something that your association created (albeit it was most likely volunteers donating the time and knowledge). You wouldn't let your competing association do it, so why a member?

Now, if they had extra content or some new technology to offer that piggybacks off what your association created, I would try to license it or purchase it from the member and launch it under the association's umbrella. That way the member gets the money they were looking for and the association gets another product.

Developing a Mobile App

2010-11-23T08:12:00.001-05:00

Lindy Dreyer over at Social Fish has a great blog post about mobile apps for associations. Are they a waste of time?

We had some extra money in the budget to use by the end of the year, so we decided to dip our toe in the app world. We did a quick survey and found that 2/3 of our members who use smart phones use Blackberry, 1/3 iPhone, and one using an Android. So we took one of our products, a listing of crane hand signals and their graphic representations, and made it an app. OSHA just passed a regulation on cranes and derricks, so it is timely.

Here is what I learned in the process.
- You have to register as a developer with both Blackberry and Apple. This step takes time. I thought our vendor was registered and could just put it up, but if we wanted our name on it, we needed to have our own vendor account. Again, this is not a short process. Even if you are just thinking about doing an app, register now. Apple does charge $99 per year.

- Spend the extra time mapping out exactly how you want it to function and how you want it to look. Remember, graphics on the phone are small, so be sure you have them setup appropriately (contrast, colors, etc)

- Free vs. Paid - tough call. Know your members. What is the content of the app? Is it a service or a revenue center.

And for the big piece of info you wanted to know - we paid $2500 total to have it done on both platforms. But it was a pretty simple app and we had the graphics already. Nothing new needed to be created.

**Update**
I checked the stats and we have over 600 downloads in under 10 days. I am guessing many of those are non-members and non-industry related, but that's pretty good numbers!

Stuff I Use and Love - Wall Mount

2010-11-19T11:05:00.000-05:00

I really wanted to hang my 32in TV in my bedroom instead of having it on the dresser. I got this mount, and it went up easy and holds it with no problem. Swings out to boot.

Love it.

Stuff I Use and Love - Portable Hard Drive

2010-11-12T11:00:00.000-05:00

I have a LaCie 320 GB portable hard drive. Nice and compact. Works like a charm, every time.

Stuff I Use and Love - Volume 1

2010-11-05T10:58:00.003-04:00

I get a lot of folks asking me for computer recommendations, other stuff to buy recommendations. So, I thought I would start a new feature on this blog highlighting some of the stuff that I use and love.

First up, My Netbook.

I have the Acer Aspire. Love it. Highly recommended. Stick with the 6 cell or higher battery, though.

The Whole Cook Source Flap

2010-11-05T08:42:00.002-04:00

I am going to give my 2 cents on this whole Cook Source thing. If you don't know what I am talking about, you can read more here and here. I am sure a few folks are going to take umbrage with my stance, but that is bound to happen.

So a magazine found a blog post, liked it, printed it while giving credit to the author. The author hears about it, and gets pissed? She wants printed apologies and a donation made, because she got published? What am I missing here? Who wouldn't want their stuff to be published while being credited? Isn't that one of the main tenants of blogging, to be linked to?

Sure, the response from the editor was one of the dumbest things ever written and she handled it tremendously bad. However, I am just floored that this person is pissed off. True, the internet is not public domain. However, every college paper in the world has citations. And all those students didn't contact the author to make sure they can use it. And every blog post (ok, not every one) has someone else linking back to it, and they didn't ask first before linking.

So what is the rub here?

Web Redesign - It's Always More Than You Think

2010-10-21T10:29:00.002-04:00

I realize I have been off of this blog for 2 months now. Partly because I have 2 small kids. Partly because I have traveled a decent bit. Partly because it is budget time. But mostly because we are in the wake of a total web overhaul.

I am leading the charge of our new site, complete with lots new functionality. And the lesson here is, it always takes longer than you think it will. I knew this going in, and it still is taking longer than I thought. It is not really anyone's fault in particular. It is just how life goes. You have lots of people doing little parts, but many of those parts can't be started until another is completed. And unless the perfect storm of everyone doing their part, on-time, in the right order happens, you will have delays.

I know there are project managers out there saying, "that's what we are here for" and "you have to plan properly." I understand and agree. But even if you do that, it will still take longer. Trust me.

More Thoughts on #ASAE10

2010-08-27T08:25:00.002-04:00

I knew that I had to get my thoughts out yesterday as early as possible because a much more eloquent post from Maddie Grant would be on its way. If you haven't read it yet, you should, especially the comments.

I wanted to write a bit more regarding some comments left on both posts. Michelle (@ExpoQueenUSA) asked some good questions, which I will answer from my perspective.

1) Did they plan the activities, sessions, and expo according to the needs of those attending? - I would say yes. A few speakers fell flat, but nobody bats 1,000. And it is hard to have one conference covering such a vast array of attendees. I think that is why the MMC and Tech Conference are so popular. They are more laser focused.

2) Did they communicate their travel info, schedule of events, etc. successfully with attendees, exhibitors and speakers, etc before the show? (In print, email, online) - Totally, 100%

3)Did they encourage and enable all parties to communicate, connect, and ENGAGE with each other? - Encourage yes, enable mostly. Others and I mentioned the layout issues didn't help.

4) Were they "hospitable" and make the conference more about their guest (me) than about themselves? - This one is dicey. ASAE was truly hospitable. I have never met a staff person that wasn't super friendly and helpful. However, as noted, the general session stuff was much more about ASAE than the attendees.

5) Did they spend their money wisely on things that will help me go home fulfilled, or were they wasteful? - The only truly wasteful thing I saw was the Guilt by Association video. I skipped Joy Behar, but to me, if they paid her, then that is a big waste.

I would add a 6th question, which I think is what both Maddie and I were trying to address: What could be done better for next time?

Tammy had a great comment suggesting some behind the scenes sessions given by ASAE staff about how they planned the conference. Brilliant! I know not everyone in attendance is ready for cutting edge. Some would just love to know how it was done. What an opportunity!

A few other suggestions I will throw out for fodder:
- For the second time in 3 years, I led a session at the request of ASAE that was a sort of idea swap for trade associations. It was again, very well received. I would love to see a dedicated time slot that was dedicated to various idea swaps. The non-DC folks don't get to witness the greatness that is these swaps. Bring them to annual for all to enjoy. Maybe as that last Tuesday lunch session.

- Have an un-conference room during each session slot. Why not?

- Have the show floor open Monday and Tuesday instead of Sunday and Monday. That way booth tear down doesn't prevent exhibitor staff from attending anything.

- Add a space for Twitter handle on the name badge. Can't hurt to ask.

Looking back, I found my posts regarding 2009 and 2008 ASAE Annuals. Looks like I already suggested the idea swap thing. One bummer, I see several themes emerging. Need more education slots. Need less cheese factor in general sessions. As Maddie and others have said, I hope the right folks are listening.

And again - thank you ASAE for all you do. You truly have a tough job keeping all of us happy.

10 Thoughts on #ASAE10

2010-08-26T14:24:00.005-04:00

Ok, so I could have spelled out the title, but chose the hashtag - #asae10. Supposedly there were over 8,000 tweets with the hashtag, but probably countless more direct messages of messages that left out the hashtag but were conference related. Two years ago, we were using twitter as a backchannel to talk about speakers. Now, over 800 people sent conference related tweets. If you aren't on Twitter, you are already late to the party. Anyway, on with the post...

In no particular order, my thoughts on this years ASAE Annual Conference:
1. LA was a good venue. Lots to do. Hotels close by. Only downside was the rooms were a bit of a hike.

2. I missed Sunday because of family obligations. That really put me behind the 8 ball. Since I led a session, that meant I only got to go to 3 true sessions. Sorry, I don't count Joy Behar and the closing session. Although Marshall Goldsmith was good, I probably wouldn't have gone to see that speech as a Learning Lab.

3. Based on #2, I think ASAE has to look at the schedule again. There just aren't enough time slots for education sessions, and too many offerings during each slot.

4. I was surprised at how many sessions weren't recorded. When I did have a conflict of multiple sessions I wanted to go to, I looked at the book to see which one(s) were recorded to help make my decision. Many times, every one wasn't being recorded. As many of the sessions touted how easy and cheap it is to record, this was a surprise.

5. I know many are talking about it, Guilt by Association. I only saw the episodes on the last day, but that was more than enough. Take that budget and spend it on AV to record more sessions.

6. Some others and I talked about this conference in relation to Great Ideas. I would really like to see them really distinguish themselves with regards to level of education. I know you need a mix, but I would like to see it more defined.

7. Free wifi and the bottled water was tremendous. Every meeting needs this.

8. I liked not having the show floor on Tuesday. I know some exhibitors complained about the Sunday session overlap, but that's ok with me.

9. I am very curious to hear from those who were the Virtual attendees.

10. At the end of the day, it is all about people. No matter what, the meeting was AWESOME because I got to see some of the smartest, coolest people I know and spend time meeting new, smart, cool friends.

**PS**
I do want to state that overall I loved the conference. These are just my random critiques/observations. ASAE does a great job. I don't envy them one bit in having to put on an association conference for people who put on association conferences. Talk about open for criticism. But ASAE does a good job of taking it in stride, listening and trying to make adjustments. Just another reason I wanted to be sure to get this stuff down.

Final Google TV Ad Update

2010-07-10T20:37:00.002-04:00

I had ads run Thursday and Friday. The final totals are this:

453,750 impressions
93 spots ran
Avg. CPM $0.65

I only had 2 people go to the website directly, but I did have 2 search for my company name exactly on Google, which hasn't happened before. Plus, I had several type in the web address directly, but without the /TV.

Interesting experiment. Hope it helped some folks.

Google TV Ads - My Ad

2010-07-09T15:34:00.001-04:00

Since I had a request for it, here is the ad I created. Realize that I did this with stock photos, screen grabs, the microphone on a webcam and cheap and free software.